Buddha Vajrasattva – The "Adamantine Being"
See it in the Museum
India and Nepal
Orientation 3
Display 2
ABS 098
Code: ABS 098
Country: India (north-west)
Style: Spiti / Lahaul Region
Date: 1000 - 1050
Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 6.8 x 15.9 x 4.6
Materials: Brass
Buddha Vajrasattva – The "Adamantine Being"
Vajrasattva, Dorje Sempa in Tibetan, sits legs crossed in meditation on a single lotus pedestal. Young and handsome with a bright white complexion, he is adorned with the silk garments and jewellery proper to the divine manifestations. His right hand holds a vajra in front of his heart and an inverted bell against his thigh in the left. The vajra symbolises the male principle of “skilful means” or active compassion, and the bell the female principle of wisdom and emptiness. His hair is arranged in an intricate topknot with locks falling over his shoulders, and a sacred thread crosses his chest. Vajrasattva is encircled by a broad, flaming aureole, and his head set off against a second, pointed aureole. These halos associate to the narrow lotus pedestal and the Buddha’s slim waist and muscular figure indicate a strong Kashmiri influence.
Vajrasattva is very popular in Vajrayana Buddhism. He condenses the five Buddha families and the hundred peaceful and wrathful deities. Through his famous “Hundred syllables mantra,” he is especially invoked for mental purification.
Vajrasattva, Dorje Sempa in Tibetan, sits legs crossed in meditation on a single lotus pedestal. Young and handsome with a bright white complexion, he is adorned with the silk garments and jewellery proper to the divine manifestations. His right hand holds a vajra in front of his heart and an inverted bell against his thigh in the left. The vajra symbolises the male principle of “skilful means” or active compassion, and the bell the female principle of wisdom and emptiness. His hair is arranged in an intricate topknot with locks falling over his shoulders, and a sacred thread crosses his chest. Vajrasattva is encircled by a broad, flaming aureole, and his head set off against a second, pointed aureole. These halos associate to the narrow lotus pedestal and the Buddha’s slim waist and muscular figure indicate a strong Kashmiri influence.
Vajrasattva is very popular in Vajrayana Buddhism. He condenses the five Buddha families and the hundred peaceful and wrathful deities. Through his famous “Hundred syllables mantra,” he is especially invoked for mental purification.